After seven years, St. Joseph Elementary School breaks ground for new addition

IC Photo/Linda Petersen

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Bishop Oscar A. Solis, Principal Jean Synowicki, diocesan and school officials and construction company representatives break ground for a new wing at St. Joseph Catholic Elementary School. Former principal Nancy Essary (left) looks on.

OGDEN — After a seven-year capital improvement campaign, St Joseph Catholic Elementary School held a groundbreaking ceremony for their new addition on Feb. 12. At the event, Bishop Oscar A. Solis, St. Joseph Principal Jean Synowicki, building committee members and supporters put their shovels in the ground and turned over the dirt in a symbolic beginning of construction on the 19,850-square-foot addition that will be built on the southeast corner of the campus.

“This kind of growth tells us the school, parish, parents, pastors, teachers and staff are succeeding in their mission to build a faithful community with Christ at its foundation,” Bishop Solis told students, teachers, diocesan and school administrators and others who were gathered for the event. “Thank you for being partners in our ministry of evangelization in order to mold not only the minds of these children, but to mold their hearts and transform their lives to become good citizens of this country as well as citizens of heaven.”

The new space will house a full-sized gymnasium, science and computer labs, an art studio and dedicated space for speech therapy, literacy programs, special needs interventions for more than 30 students, and a before- and after-school program.

The addition is long overdue, Synowicki said.

“This is an exciting day that the St. Joseph Catholic Schools community has been anticipating for a very long time,” she said. “The journey started more than seven years ago – a long road that will have a positive impact on future generations.”

Building committee member Steve Evans, whose family has been a part of the St. Joseph schools community for more than 43 years, added his thanks to those expressed by Synowicki.

“As a longtime member, I thank all of you for allowing me and our family to grow up in this family and to have this family move forward into the future for another 125 years,” Evans said. “I see this school growing once again, and in another 20 years hopefully we’ll add more to this school. This is a beacon for the city of Ogden; it is a beacon for the Catholic community of northern Utah.”

The funds for the new wing were raised from various foundations and private donors, many of them members of the St. Joseph Schools community. Wadman Construction is expected to begin work in April; the building is anticipated to be complete within a year.